In all the talk about the high cost of bank overdraft fees, one important point is often overlooked. Most banking customers don't pay any overdraft fees at all. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

A life without charges of $35 and up on your bank statement a half dozen times or more in one year might seem like nirvana if you've fallen into the habit of overdrafts. But it is indeed possible to avoid overdrafts and the resulting fees, according to Jean Ann Fox, director of financial services at the Consumer Federation of America in Washington, D.C.

"If you are one of the consumers who contributed to the $24 billion in overdraft fees paid last year, it would be worthwhile to carefully monitor all your transactions for a while to get that under control. If you're having trouble making it from payday to payday, you can't afford to be paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in overdraft or bounced check fees," she says.

If you're ready to ditch your overdrafts, here are some tips that should help you.

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